Comparison of surgical techniques and results for emergency or elective femoral hernia repair

Abstract

Background: Inguinal hernia affects 3-8% of the population. Femoral hernias are only a small number of groin hernias; however, femoral hernias are very important because these operations are generally emergency procedures, and bowel resections are frequently necessary. This study aims to compare surgical outcomes of patients with femoral hernias using different techniques under emergency or elective conditions.

Methods: Between April 2013 and November 2017, 52 patients with femoral hernias were admitted to the emergency department of the General Surgery Clinics at two university hospitals in Istanbul. The medical files of all the patients who underwent surgery with a diagnosis of a femoral hernia were retrospectively evaluated. The demographic data, hernia side information, sac contents, surgical technique, length of hospital stay, recurrence according to the last outpatient clinic and complications were retrospectively analyzed.

Results: The sex distribution of the cases was as follows: 88.5% (n=46) of the patients were female, and 11.5% (n=6) were male. The mean age was 62.9±16.49 years (31-91 years). There were no significant differences between the two groups, according to the hernia side (p=0.282). Thirteen of the elective cases (52%) were operated using open techniques, and 12 cases (48%) were operated using laparoscopic techniques.

Conclusion: For the comparison of surgical techniques and outcomes, prospective randomized studies should be designed to standardize broad-based surgical techniques.